Protesters march to call for attention to First Nations concerns ahead of Canada’s election last year.
Photograph: Cristian Mijea/Demotix/Corbis

After suicide attempts began to be a daily reality in the small Canadian community of Attawapiskat First Nation, leaders said they had little choice but to declare a state of emergency.

“We’re in crisis mode,” said Chief Bruce Shisheesh. “Just about every night there is a suicide attempt.”

The remote northern Ontario community of some 2,000 people has seen more than 100 suicide attempts in the past seven months; one person has died. The youngest person to attempt suicide was 11 years old, while the oldest was 71.

After 11 people tried to take their own lives on Saturday alone, community leaders unanimously decided to declare a state of emergency.

The number of attempts began to climb in September, after five teenage girls tried to overdose, Shisheesh said. On Monday, as the Canadian and Ontario governments scrambled to respond to the emergency, Shisheesh was woken at 4am with a request to assist with another suicide attempt.

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The community’s four healthcare workers have been left to deal with the crisis, despite having no specialised training. “We don’t even have a mental health worker,” Shisheesh said. “Our workers are breaking down, they can’t think straight, they’re lacking sleep.”

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents First Nations in northern Ontario, has sent two mental health counsellors to Attawapiskat as part of their crisis response unit. “It’s shocking that conditions like this continue to exist in this day and age in Canada,” said Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler.

Canada’s 1.4 million indigenous people, who make up about 4% of the country’s population, continue to struggle with higher levels of poverty and a lower life expectancy as compared with other Canadians.

Fiddler pointed to the living conditions in Attawapiskat to explain the underlying issue. “They still live in third world conditions, with dilapidated housing, and lack access to quality healthcare and education.” Two- and three-bedroom homes are often shared by 15 people and riddled with black mould.

Attawapiskat land is home to a diamond mine, but the community has seen little benefit, said Fiddler. “Millions and millions of dollars are being generated from their land and their resources and very little is going back to the community.”

In the wake of Attawapiskat’s state of emergency, Canada’s federal and provincial governments pledged support for the community. “Hearing about the loss of life to suicide and the feelings of despair felt by the community of Attawapiskat reminds us of how important it is to work with First Nations and indigenous peoples across the country to address the very real challenges facing their communities,” Jane Philpott, Canada’s health minister, said in a statement.

Health Canada said on Monday that it expected five mental health workers to be on the ground by the end of the day.

Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, weighed in on the situation on Sunday, saying on Twitter: “The news from Attawapiskat is heartbreaking. We’ll continue to work to improve living conditions for all Indigenous peoples.”

On Monday, National Chief Perry Bellegarde, of the Assembly of First Nations, called on the Canadian and Ontario government to develop a national strategy to address First Nations’ suicide rates. “The situation in Attawapiskat is sadly felt by far too many First Nations across the country,” said Bellegarde in a statement. “We need a sustained commitment to address longstanding issues that lead to hopelessness among our peoples, particularly the youth.”

In urban Canada, an issue involving suicide would trigger a wide-ranging response involving counsellors and emergency teams, said Charlie Angus, the member of parliament for Attawapiskat.

But for First Nations, the response is too often marked by indifference or muddled with bureaucracy. “That’s what we’re living in northern Canada right now … where the adults of this nation don’t really see it as their responsibility to help the children because [they think] ‘hey, they are brown children living on a reserve up north.’ There’s a disconnect.”

Attawapiskat and the surrounding region has seen some 600 suicide attempts since 2009. “There’s nothing new here. This crisis has been going on year after year,” he said, describing the community as a “war zone of despair”.

“It’s Haiti at -40C,” he said, pointing to the 14-year wait and national campaign it took to get an elementary school built in Attawapiskat two years ago. “What these children are up against is so overwhelmingly bleak and it doesn’t need to be that way.”

In Canada, 24-hour suicide prevention centres can be found across the country through theCanadian Association for Suicide Prevention. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.